The first day at Cobbler's Lane Fudge Factory's new location (Image: Cobbler's Lane Facebook)
Cobbler’s Lane Fudge Factory has grown quickly since opening two years ago at Apohaqui’s general store.
Andrew and Sandi Smith purchased a fudge kettle for their 13-year-old daughter Brayley, a lifelong baker, in summer 2018 after she expressed interest in having a summer job.
“It was really never intended to be a business, it was something to expose her to business,” said Sandi. “It was a way for us to show our kids how this works and give them the opportunity to see how hard it is to own and run your own company.”
Within a month, the Smiths had to hire another employee and buy a second fudge kettle to keep up with demand. After six months, they decided to make it a full-fledged business.
A selection of Cobbler’s Lane’s fudge (Image: Cobbler’s Lane Facebook)
“We really didn’t realize how busy she was, I would just work at noon hour and come pick her up and plop her down the store and then I go back to work,” she said, adding they would pick Brayley up in the evening and she would bake, sell and balance constantly.
Andrew says their five employees are encouraged to sample every flavour of fudge made. “We wanted our employees to really be able to communicate the fudge to the customer — because there’s lots of different ones we make — that when you eat them, you actually experience it,” he said.
Cobbler’s Lane offers over 40-to-50 flavors of fudge, from traditional flavours — such as chocolate and brown sugar, to experimental tastes like bubble gum and cherry blossom. They also sell roasted nuts and carry coffee and the local Sussex Ice Cream.
At the start of July, they decided to move the business to Sussex and opened its retail store in a barn owned by Sandi’s family. Cobbler’s Lane was also deemed an essential business and didn’t have to close during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“I think [it] helped a lot of people that were kind of stuck and not able to go places,” Sandi said. “They knew at least they could treat themselves or treat somebody else.”
The installation of the commercialized kitchen in the barn is currently in progress, with the fudge baked across town and then delivered to the store.
Andrew explained they carried over the winter practice of wrapping the fudge, to keep the fudge moist during the cold, instead of displaying them on the counters. “We were kind of ready for COVID before it even really happened, or it seems like it was,” he said.
Sandi adds they were already well regimented on cleaning and hand-washing, they didn’t have to change any existing cleaning protocols.
Cobbler’s Lane’s storefront on 26 Marble Street (Image: Cobbler’s Lane Facebook)
Cobbler’s Lane successfully hosted a musical event where Bob Burgess and Friends performed August 1, along with fellow musician and Cobbler’s employee, Lily Alexander. Further musical events are planned for August.
The Smiths estimate that they have sold 12 tonnes of fudge in two years, with people driving from as far as Woodstock solely for the creamy delights. Additionally, their Sussex location has increased customer traffic.
“It’s been one of the best things that happened to us, moving to a new location,” said Andrew. “Now when we look back from where we are right now, we’re like, ‘that’s the best blessing we’ve ever had.’”
If you’re planning on visiting, you can check out Cobbler’s Lane Fudge Factory at 26 Marble Street in Sussex.
